Corsair, G.Skill, Mushkin, and Patriot X79 Quad-Channel Memory Review

Closer Look:

G.Skill is a brand that has come a long way from being a relatively unknown company, to one of the top tier memory manufacturers for the enthusiast community. The Ripjaws series of modules are designed for the enthusiast and overclocker, usually coming with a fair amount of overhead to allow end users the flexibility of tweaking settings and voltages for higher memory speeds. I remember taking a chance on my first set of G.Skill memory back when the AMD A64 chips were king. They were a set of "OPB"-approved modules (yeah I know) that allowed me to get to a 310 FSB on my little single core A64 3000+. At that point, I was hooked on the value and performance that they delivered. With regards to G.Skill, I last looked at their RipjawsX and Sniper Series modules just after the socket 1155 Sandy Bridge launch. With Intel's latest Sandy Bridge Extreme processor launch, G.Skill has kits ready to go with speeds up to 2400 MHz and capacities up to 64 GB if your pockets are deep enough. Today, I am looking at a quad-channel 16 GB (4 x 4 GB) DDR3 kit of RipjawsZ modules rated for operation at 2133 MHz and latencies of 9-11-10-28 using 1.65 V, also coming with G.Skills lifetime warranty.

Some of G.Skill’s the higher-end kits come with a Turbulence fan assembly and normally arrive in a cardboard box, but this kit came in the standard retail plastic clamshell. Both the front and back side hold a pair of modules, separated by the sales card which displays the G.Skill logo.

These modules have the part number F3-17000CL9Q-16GBZH. To put it into words, this means it is a 16 GB kit comprised of 4 DDR3 modules, each 4 GB in size and designed to run at DDR3 2133 MHz, with a CAS latency of 9 at 1.65 volts. One side of the black heat shield has the G.Skill logo, while the opposite side has a label that has the part number, serial number, latencies (9-11-10-28 2N), and capacity. Intel XMP 1.3 Profiles are also supported. These RipjawsZ modules feature a new ribbed heat shield that adds surface area for additional cooling and vented fins that rise above the PCB to provide more efficient convective cooling. The heat shield is 1.58 inches in height and encases the modules from one end to the other. Like most high performance modules with tall heat shields, the amount of clearance between a large air cooled solution and the modules could pose some clearance issues.

Covered by a lifetime warranty, G.Skill are in for the long haul on their enthusiast memory products. G.Skill is consistently one of the memory brands used by enthusiasts for world record attempts. The nice appearance of the RipjawsZ modules allows them to fit into any build and not look out of place.